New measures do not correct the skewed use of plant nutrients

New fertiliser policy stuck in the past

Business Standard

The world over capitals have government offices spread across the city

No need for a grand secretariat in Delhi

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari follows only two Twitter handles - Narendra Modi and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). The number has come down from 12 last year, when the BJP-led government came to power. So, when he was asked why he kept a low profile on social media even while he cheered for technology to improve things in the transport sector, he apologised and said he had already begun work on that. "Log ek rupay ka kaam karte hain, dus rupay ki baatein karte hai. Main dus rupay ka kaam karta hun aur ek rupay ka batata hoon," he said (people do little work and boast about it. I do so much work, and yet I don't speak much about it.) On Twitter since December 2009, Gadkari has tweeted 644 times, is following two and is followed by 348,000. Guess which other government leaders have more tweets and followers than Gadkari?

Perfect logic

Flattery knows no boundaries, especially when the subject happens to be the chief minister of India's most populous state. During a recent function at the CM's residence at 5, Kalidas Marg, Lucknow, a Cabinet minister subtly started to wax eloquent on Akhilesh Yadav. Soon, he launched into unabashed flattery, comparing the CM's heart to the geographical expanse of Uttar Pradesh, much to the discomfort of Yadav, who looked embarrassed even as he smiled sheepishly.

Flattery, thy name is politics!

Many things have changed, now that the Congress is in Opposition after a decade in power at the Centre. Last week, even some party members were surprised to find senior Congressmen Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge at the party office at 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi. While both have had long stints as Union Cabinet ministers in the United Progressive Alliance government, they had not been seen at the Congress headquarters for years. Azad, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Kharge, leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, jointly addressed the media and trashed the National Democratic Alliance government's claims of presiding over the most productive session of Parliament in over a decade.

Together again

This refers to the report "New insider trading regulations effective today" (May 14). The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)'s revised insider trading regulations are a clear instance of overkill. As pointed out in the report, companies will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to ensure that they comply with the provisions.It goes without saying that a director, even an independent one, is likely to be in possession of unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI) about his company, and must adhere to strict legal and ethical standards, including trading only during the permitted period and under the disclosed trading plan. It is equally true that he/she can't be presumed to have UPSI about other listed entities. It is also not at all evident why he needs to file all his trades and disclose all his investments, in securities of entities where he is not a director. The Supreme Court has held that all directors can be sued if a cheque bounces, when it is a fact th

Letters Bound by the law

This refers to Jaimini Bhagwati's article "Dynastic politics and development" (May 15). It is not fair to say that the Congress' dynastic leaders tried to push their progeny. We have to remember that after Jawaharlal Nehru, the leadership had moved out of the dynasty. Also, though Indira Gandhi was keen to get her son, Sanjay, into a leadership role, her other son Rajiv got pushed into one after her assassination. Similarly, after Rajiv Gandhi's death, the leadership did move out of the dynasty with Sonia Gandhi refusing to step up. She assumed leadership a decade after Rajiv Gandhi's death. So, it is not the Congress leadership that desperately pushed dynastic leadership, but rather the party itself that has always preferred someone from the dynasty as its leader.Kishor Kulkarni  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal

Letters Dynasties and leaders

This refers to the editorial "Bad assets blues" (May 18). The unloading of a significant chunk of bad assets in infrastructure from the books of banks on to a special purpose vehicle, as suggested in the editorial, would only transfer the problem without actually solving it. Affected banks are too willing to comply with this requirement as it implies only passing accounting entries. There are other sectors such as aviation, diamonds, and textiles, which also have a significant share in bad assets. What about these assets?Recapitalisation of banks, even on a selective basis, is not a solution either, unless there are significant changes in appraisal, follow-up systems and process of lenders. A simple question that has been left unanswered so far is the private sector lenders (PSLs) systems and procedures.Why do PSLs have such a low share of bad assets while their counterparts have amassed huge numbers? Prominent PSLs are not even part of the consortium that has lent to bad companies. Th

Letters Tackling bad assets

Stress on bank assets is again in the news

StatsGuru: How bad loans are affecting the banking sector

Over 70 per cent of Indian organisations plan to increase their HR spending in the next one year, says the Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report 2015, done in partnership with the National HRD Network. According to the report, like their global counterparts, Indian businesses have ranked leadership as the most important human capital issue for this year. Interestingly, performance management and talent acquisition are important challenges for the short term and not the long term. A majority of respondents have already started addressing both.

India Inc puts HR issues on top of the table

A year of new highs: Benchmark indices routinely touched new  highs  in the year after Modi came to power

A few knocks after the highs

A rare bonhomie in Parliament last week between govt and Opposition led to passage of a constitutional amendment Bill to enable operationalisation of the India-B'desh land boundary pact

Constitutional amendments

Gurgaon-based TrucksFirst Services has raised $10 million (Rs 61.8 crore) from SAIF Partners India

TrucksFirst raises $10 million

Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a way forward

Case study

Budget: Rs 30-50 lakhBusiness Standard brings you a snapshot of average current rates and unit sizes in localities that offer property in a price range of Rs 30-50 lakh. If you are looking at buying real estate and your budget falls within this range, an idea about prevailing rates would come in handy

Realty check

Today, Sanjay Agarwal , executive vice-president, (head-SME and retail business) Arcil, answers your questionsMy credit card was cancelled because I was irregular with my payments. Now that I have cleared all my dues, can I apply for a new card? Yes, you are eligible to apply for a fresh card. Chances of approval depend on various factors such as the period and amount of default, were there any waivers to clear the dues, your conduct with other loans, credit bureau score, your current income, etc, apart from the credit policies of individual card-issuing entity. You stand a good chance of getting a new card.My housing finance company recently reduced interest rates. But since I am an old customer, I will have to pay a fee to lower the rate on my loan. Should I pay the fee or continue with my existing equated monthly instalment?When the floating rate of interest goes up or down, the impact is passed on to the borrower without asking for any fee. But when there is a reset of rates agains

Debt Counselling: Sanjay Agarwal

PM Narendra Modi will return from his tour of China, South Korea and Mongolia on May 20. His return will see an avid discussion on the outcome of his trips

Debating the outcome of the PM's trips abroad

COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA| 1.75 billion smartphone owners can no longer use their phones| Email users worldwide can't send and receive 182 billion messages| 4.9 million Skype users unable to spend two billion minutes using the IM and video calling apps| Online networkers can't share over 500 million tweets| 864 million Facebook users can't spend an average 39 minutes on the networkENTERTAINMENTWorldwide, 903.3 million payTV subscribers would lose accessE-COMMERCEE-commerce retailers would lose $2 billion in sales. This could effect 244 million members on AmazonENERGYThe number  of devices with cellular or satellite connectivity deployed in oil and gas applications worldwide is estimated to be 1.12 million by 2018HEALTH78% of office based physicians and 59% of  hospitals in the US cannot access patients electronic recordsFINANCEThe average cost of transacting using an online or mobile device is 56 cents, 59 cents at an ATM, compared to $3.97 with a bank tellerSource: NetApp

A day without data

Fifty-eight per cent of Indians find it difficult to access credit, savings and jobs because of their gender, more than in any other country surveyed, finds a MasterCard commissioned study, The Connector's Project. In addition, 67 per cent of respondents worry about money they owe to others and 82 per cent worry about their future prospects. The survey focused exclusively on street vendors and domestic workers  to provide authentic and workable solutions to ensure economic inclusion.By identifying the connectors and the points on the inclusion journey at which they provide the maximum leverage, The Connector's Project aims to provide insights to governments, NGOs and private businesses to reach the maximum number of subjects for inclusion.The research found five key connections in an individuals' network: mentor, introducer, migrator, role model and business influencer. These are the people who provide ideas, support, and knowledge to those seeking greater economic inclusion for themse

Connectors crucial for inclusion

Talent, not capital, will be the key factor linking innovation, competitiveness and growth in the 21st century, and better data and metrics are critical for this, says the latest edition of the World Economic Forum's Human Capital Report 2015. According to the report, today's education systems are disconnected from the skills needed to function in labour markets. The exponential rate of technological and economic change is  increasing the gap between education and labour markets. The premise of current education systems is on developing cognitive skills, yet behavioural and non-cognitive skills that nurture an individual's capacity to collaborate, innovate, self-direct and problem-solve are increasingly important.The report also says current education systems are time-compressed in a way that may not be suited to future labour markets. They force narrow career and expertise decisions in early youth. The lines between academia and the labour market may need to blur or disappear entirely

Businesses must invest in reskilling employees

The Annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder meeting held in Omaha on May 2, 2015. Coke, IBM and Wells Fargo are the company's three out of the big four stocks. McDonalds. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Yves Saint Laurent. The Dollar General Stores ($1dollar store concept) were founded by JL Turner and his son Cal Turner Sr.in Scottsville, Kentucky. The first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Kentucky, on June 1, 1955. Mondelez Mobile Futures. This outfit runs three month accelerator programmes to nurture and mentor outside start-ups. It currently is running this programme in Brazil, Australia and US. Louis Vuitton Johnson & Johnson. Robert Wood and James Wood Johnson. Del Monte Tomato Ketchup refill packs Omidyar Network. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic foundation, with a for-profit subsidiary, self-styled as an 'investment firm.' It was established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam.There was no correct entry for quiz No. 408

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